The Garda Commissioner has denied calling whistle-blower Maurice McCabe "malicious".

Noirín O'Sullivan issued a statement last night after it emerged her private evidence to the O'Higgins Commission suggested Sergeant McCabe was motivated by "malice".

In public, the Commissioner had said she fully supported the whistleblower.

The O'Higgins Commission was set up to investigate Sergeant McCabe's claims of wrong-doing in the Cavan-Monaghan Garda division.